The Teachings of Yoda

It has been awhile since the last blog entry. Honestly, there really has not been much to talk about. One thing we all need to do is cool off.

Not to the extreme that my friend Bill Rodman, known to the Raggedy as “Yoda”, has pulled off in recent memory. Bill is more than a photographer, he is a passionate storyteller. He features took him to every corner of the Sportsman Paradise looking for the unique story to cap off the end of a newscast. In between shoots, he would pass some of his Jedi techniques in my direction. One lesson actually came from a renowned scientist, “For every action there is an equal an opposite reaction”. Meaning if an event is happening, don’t just shoot the event get the people being affected by the event. Yoda always had a place in my heart. He didn't have to teach me anything but he saw someone that wanted to learn and I thank him for that.

Even though Rodman isn’t at the Raggedy anymore that doesn’t mean he is in exile like the little green guy from the Lucas movies. Now he has his production company that takes him to the places across the globe. Always the passionate storyteller, still using the ways of the Force through the lens of his camera.

The Madness Continues

This is a crazy. It baffles the mind to the point of pure insanity. I do not know if it is the heat. I do not know if peeps are taking Drowning Pool seriously. Or maybe people just have no regard for human life anymore. It has been a week with bullets, flashing lights, and a bunch of trips by the coroner. At any given point, I am looking for Wyatt Earp and “Doc” Holliday to pay us a visit.

It all started on Monday, where a shoot out left one person dead and three others injured. All from some idiotic judgment at a nightclub. Then Wednesday rolls around and someone decides to rob a couple of people. Another ends up dead while the other is injured. All of that was nothing compared to what went down yesterday. Three separate shootings that day. One resulted in three people losing their lives. The madness had officially hit the Red Stick leaving law enforcement looking for answers and families asking why?

Naturally, the mayhem on the street spills into the newsroom. The chaos is all anyone is talking about and we have to feed the insatiable hunger for information. What is next are tons of cops combing the streets and community leaders pleading for the publics help all while being sandwiched in between live shots in the field and in the newsroom. This stuff can wear on you.

I hope we can at least make to the weekend without more crime tape.

Titan Lost

July 4th, 2009. The day where Lou Gehrig's speech was honored all over Major League Baseball. The day where the Williams sisters, Venus & Serena, made the grass courts of Wimbledon their personal playground. Importunely, it is also a day where a Titan of a man was lost.

Steve McNair, a 13 year NFL Quarterback, was found in downtown Nashville with a fatal gunshot wound. His presence on the field had now been trumped by the tragic loss off it.

The sports world lost a man who stared at tiny Alcorn State. Where he racked up over 16,000 yards in total offense. I watched some of those games in person since he would always fine a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Especially against my Alma Mata. I knew if my Jaguars were up by four with two minutes left in the game with "Air" McNair at QB for the Braves, we were not going to win that one. Sure enough he would scramble and find a Wide Receiver in the back of the end zone for the game winning score.

After a college, he went on to the Houston Oilers / Tennessee Titans where he would be named to three Pro Bowls and the leagues co MVP in 2003. During that time, he would take the franchise to its only Super Bowl appearance in 2000. That to me is one of the best football games every played. You have the Titans and the St. Louis Rams going back and forth. Every big play was answered with another big play. In the end, McNair and the Titans came up one yard short from a world championship. All of us who watched that day stood up and applauded afterwards. Finally a game that put the commercials on the backseat.

However, what will be missed most are his contributions to the communities he lived. From the time, he quote “FIRED” his mom after knowing that after he signed his first NFL contract she would not have to work another day he her life. To the time of his last football camp for some youngsters at the University of Southern Mississippi.

I do not know what personal matters he was going through but it shouldn’t have cost him his time on Earth.

One thing is for certain, God’s football team has another star on its roster.

Shark Tales

You talk about the stars being aligned for this round of filling time in the newscasts. Lately the Big Raggedy has adopted the moniker of being Louisiana’s Animal Channel. Our recent escapades have now driven us to the wonders of the great blue sea. Just one problem, those wonders are popping up in freshwater areas across the state.

While the Kidd was scrambling to find a story, after all, it is the holiday weekend; a call comes into the padded walls of the asylum. On the line is a mother saying her two sons caught a shark at the Amite Diversion Canal. Yes, someone is claiming that they caught Jaws. I wonder if they used piano wire? With nothing better to do we roll out.

As we approach said destination the fish tale starts to unravel a little. Turns out it is not Jaws but a seven footer. Alright, no big deal. Then it the seven-foot catch shrinks to five and a half feet. So I then I question is it still a shark? We would have to see this for ourselves I just hope it is not a blank fishing trip.

Once we arrive the peeps are all excited. The Raggedy has shown up to take pictures of the salt water wonder. My questions were answered. Turns out the kids discovered a Black Tip Shark. Definitely not native to this part of the world. Therefore, we take some pictures and talk to the brave souls for the late news. However, after experiencing sudden total recall, isn’t the Turdpolisher deep inside the padded walls finishing up on another shark story as well?

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.